TWO PEDESTAL TABLES BY JEAN-CHARLES-FRANCOIS LELOY IN THE ROYAL COLLECTIONS OF PATRIMONIO NACIONAL

The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth information of two pedestal tables (named Table du Sacre and Gueridon Mauresque) designed by Leloy, and kept in the royal collections of Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage). Despite their differences, they both have some elements in common: not only Sevres porcelain was used as their main decorative material offering painted historical scenes, but also both of them were gifts from French sovereigns to Spanish monarchs. The two pieces were also displayed in the 19th century at the Louvre Royale Manufactures Exhibitions as an example of the high quality that the Sevres Manufacture achived. Although the Table du Sacre (table of coronation due to its iconography) is of great interest, the decoration of the Gueridon Mauresque is specially remarkable as it provides an interesting insight between courts. It depicts Boabdil leaving the Alhambra, being directly inspired by the Nasrid Palace (15th century): a piece of furniture depicting a scene of the Spanish Moorish past, was made in France and later offered as a gift to the regent of the Spanish Kingdom Maria Cristina de Borbon